February 11 – 19, 2012

New England’s premier winter boating event is held at the state of the art Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC). The Progressive Insurance New England Boat Show has grown into the Northeasts’ largest Boat Show, attracting thousands from the New England Seaboard. The show fills 300,000 square feet with hundreds of the newest boats from the region’s top dealers, along with a wide selection of marine accessories and special features – creating a marine marketplace and boater’s paradise like no other!

Have a need for speed? See powerboats of all makes and models for cruising, fishing, wakeboarding and all the watersports!

Do you like to ride with the wind? The Progressive Insurance New England Boat Show offers dozens of sailboats from skiffs and one design dinghy racers to Coastal Cruisers. All rigged and ready for your inspection!

The show also has more than 250 exhibits of the latest in marine accessories to stock up on everything from the newest navigational equipment, hardware and galleyware for your boat.

www.newenglandboatshow.com

February 17, 2012 – March 17, 2012

Widely hailed as one of the best new Broadway plays, Time Stands Still is the story of Sarah and James, a photojournalist and a foreign correspondent, who are reeling after a recent brush with death while on an assignment. Will their relationship of nearly a decade be more threatened by a traditional go at domesticity than the roadside bombs of Baghdad?

lyricstage.com

Disney On Ice Dare to Dream visits Boston from Friday, February 17 to Sunday, February 26 at the TD Garden.

This brand-new ice spectacular featuring scenes from Tangled; The Princess and the Frog; and Cinderella, visits Boston from Friday, February 17 to Sunday, February 26 for 18 performances at the TD Garden.

Get tangled up in the newest thrilling show to hit the ice, Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream. Experience Disney’s hilarious hair-raising escapade, Tangled; as Rapunzel, her unlikely companion, Flynn, and Maximus, embark on a uproarious journey that takes adventure to new lengths!  Boogie to the best of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen in a magical, musical journey that all begins with a fateful kiss. And fanciful dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming, with a glass slipper fit for an unforgettable fantasy come true. All you favorite princesses take to the ice in a spectacular finale at the ultimate Disney Princess event of a lifetime! Experience the beauty, sparkle, and spirit when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream in Boston!

www.tdgarden.com

The Big Apple Circus returns to Boston at City Hall Plaza on March 27 to May 13, 2012.

For its 34th Season the Big Apple Circus dares you to Dream Big! It’s an All–New Show, where the World’s Greatest Circus artists are presented under an intimate Big Top, and no seat is more than 50 feet from the ring! Let your imagination soar and summon the most amazing acts — A juggler with a suit to fit his sweet feats of fancy handiwork! A mechanical doll who comes alive in a sinuous balancing act! Spirited horses, frolicsome dogs, and a capybara and porcupine to perk up the sawdust party! Audacious acrobats who astound with athletic grace! Comical conjurors with magical moments of grand illusion! The aerial daring of the trapeze flyers! A singing Ringmistress and the Big Apple Circus Band creating the ringing melodies of memories to last! And Grandma!! Yes, Grandma, apogee of comical aspiration and mirthful joy in her Farewell Season with the circus.

www.bigapplecircus.org

Join the Museum of Science for a test screening of Space Junk on Monday, January 30; 6:00 p.m. The Museum is considering this IMAX® film for the Mugar Omni Theater, and they want your opinion!

There is no cost to attend and tickets will be available in the Museum lobby starting at 5:30 p.m. on the evening of the screening, first come, first served. Your only obligation is to complete a short survey at the conclusion of the film.

http://www.mos.org

December 2011 - Evening exterior view of the new Evans Way Park lobby entrance of the new wing of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Outdoor art installation “Ailanthus” by Stefano Arienti (right). Photo by Nic Lehoux.

On January 19, 2012, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will open to the public a new addition to its original building, kicking off an inaugural season of exhibitions, performances, and events that highlight the Museum’s wide range of programming.

The new 70,000-square-foot wing was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano to preserve the historic 1902 building and alleviate pressures caused by years of use. Situated behind the original building on its site along the Fenway, the new addition provides purpose-built spaces for concerts, exhibitions, and classes, along with enhanced visitor amenities.

Following special advance previews for Museum members on January 15-18, the grand opening celebration will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with City of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino on January 19, followed by three days of free Bank of America Community Opening Days from January 19-21.

“This new wing is an extraordinarily elegant workshop, a bustling counterpoint to the historic building’s serenity. Here, the thinking and the work of the Museum is performed, so that the Palace, which had been put to uses for which it was not equipped, can once again give visitors the experience Isabella Stewart Gardner intended: a personal confrontation with art,” said Anne Hawley, Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the Museum.

www.gardnermuseum.org

The Boston Flower & Garden Show kicks off with a “Boston Parks Department Preview Party” fundraiser on Tuesday, March 13, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Seaport World Trade Center.

Maria Stephanos of FOX25 News will host the gala with Honorary Chairs Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Boston’s First Lady Angela Menino.

Proceeds will help the Boston Parks and Recreation Department restore the greenhouses at Franklin Park, ensuring that the horticulture team can continue to propagate flowers and plants year-round. These plantings are used in the Public Garden, the Boston Common, along city streets, and in neighborhood parks.

Discounted tickets are now available for the Preview Party taking place on the eve of the Show, which opens to the public on Wednesday, March 14 and runs through Sunday, March 18. The discounted ticket price of $100 per person will be available through February 14, 2012. After that date, the purchase price will be $125 each.

The show theme is “First Impressions: Adding WOW Factor to Outdoor Spaces” and is produced by Paragon Group. The Parks Department’s Horticulture Unit will be showcased in “Entering Boston,” part of the Flower Show’s invitational vignette exhibit featuring replicas of points of entry to several Massachusetts cities and towns.

Guests on March 13 will have an exclusive peek at 28 professional flower and garden exhibits prior to the opening of New England’s largest horticultural event. Ticket holders will also enjoy an open bar and a complimentary hors d’oeuvres reception with live music and a silent auction. In addition, each guest will receive a ticket to revisit the exhibits and 200 vendors after the show opens to the general public.

John Hancock Financial Services has partnered with the Parks Department again this year as a Silver Sponsor of the fundraiser. To learn about sponsorship opportunities, purchase tickets, or for more information, call the Parks Department at 617-635-4032 or visit www.cityofboston.gov.

For 2012 Boston Flower & Garden Show admission and information, call the Paragon Group at 781-273-5533 or visit www.bostonflowershow.com.

Geckos: Tails to Toepads: is a new temporary exhibit opening January, 22, 2012 at the Museum of Science in Boston. Visit the Museum of Science for more information.

One of Spring’s most popular events, the “Boston Flower & Garden Show,” returns to the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston from Wednesday, March 14 through Sunday, March 18, 2012 to offer hundreds of ideas for adding the “wow” factor and a welcoming vibe to your outdoor spaces.

The Preview Party, one of Boston’s premier social events, takes place on Tuesday, March 13, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The 2012 theme, “First Impressions,” will showcase ways to express one’s personality and style as well as add enjoyment and value to one’s property.

Set to the backdrop of more than 25 garden displays by cutting-edge landscape professionals and area nurseries, the 2012 Boston Flower & Garden Show will give visitors the opportunity to choose from and enjoy 48 lectures and demonstrations by top garden writers, industry professionals and chefs; shopping from 200 vendors featuring thousands of plants and hundreds of the newest gardening products; as well as chances to take home some exciting giveaways.

The annual tradition continues as the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts coordinate colorful competitions among the region’s top amateur floral arrangers and horticulturists, all set to the show theme.

The 2012 Boston Flower & Garden Show is produced by Paragon Group, event marketer and producer of major events, including the New England International Auto Show and the National Golf Expo Boston.

For more information and the latest updates, be sure to visit www.thebostonflowershow.com.